Invention of Eyeshadow
The history of eyeshadow is really old. You can find its fingerprints in ancient times as well. However, if you ask about the person who invented the famous eyeshadow, then you probably you can not find a concrete answer. Yes, you can see the presence of eyeshadow in a number of civilizations and cultural purposes, which clearly indicates that it was not one single person who invented it; rather its evolution happen through time. This article intends to give you a brief insight about the different cultures that have witnessed the presence of eyeshadow in different forms, names, purposes and usages. The oldest clues have been found in ancient Egypt. Around 10000 BC, the people there used a cosmetic stick around their eyes. This was known as Kohl. Both males and females used to wear this eyeshadow. They believed that this protected their skin and improved their eyesight. In the 7th and the 8th centuries BC, Greek traders used to sell the eyeshadow called fucus. They sold it all over the world. Basically, this fucus was colored in blue and green, and it became a high fashion in that time. Their sale is considered to be a milestone in the Greek economy.
With the Egyptians and Greeks growing there empires, the Romans were not lagging behind anyhow. The materialistic Romans desired eyeshadow and imported it from all over the world. They treated eyeshadow with such relevance that at one point in time they started relating it with their religious purposes. They believed that it repelled the evil forces. Even India has witnessed the presence of eyeshadow. In around 5th century in India, people used to decorate their body including the eyes, with Henna. Henna also played the decorative role in religious services and soon after it led to the use of imported Kohl from Egypt.
Near the 10th century in Iberia, a very famous physician, named Abulcasis, wrote a large treatise on the various areas of medicines. He dedicated one entire volume to the use of eyeshadow and other eye related cosmetics. He related eyeshadow as something that prevents the eyes from diseases, and enhances the overall beauty of a person aesthetic. In the beginning of the 11th century in Japan, women used to decorate the corner of their eyes with crushed petals of flowers, bird droppings and rice flower to enhance their beauty. They applied it using brushes made up of wax. It goes without saying that eyeshadow has come a long way.
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History of Eyeshadow
Eyeshadow is basically a type of cosmetic which is applied to the eyelid and the skin below the eyebrow to accentuate your eyes. Typically women wear it. But you can also find men wearing it in some theatrical or cultural performances. There are a number of eyeshadow available in the market in different shades, textures and brands. It has been worn by both women and men for many centuries. The history of eyeshadow goes way back to ancient Egypt and Greece. For example, in Egyptian culture both males and females used to encircle the eye area by dark dye, called Kohl, to make the eyes look like an almond shape. They also used to apply the powder eyeshadow sometimes with the help of stick.
Kohl is considered to be the first eyeshadow used. Many people still think that kohl was just crushed charcoal, but they are wrong. It was made up using many surprising ingredients like crushed antimony, oxidized copper, lead, burnt almonds, malachite, ash, and chrysocolla. Egyptians believed that kohl is really useful for the vision of the eyes as well. If you compare the modern and the ancient Egyptian eyeshadow, they both have almost similar application and use. In ancient Greece , the colored eyeshadow were used for decorative purposes. Iraqis used to believe that eyeshadow protected them from ‘the evil eye’. At that time it was used mainly by upper class people. They made it using different herbs, crushed stones, minerals and dried flowers.
Coming into modern day history, in the 1950’s, Helena Rubinstein made blue eyeshadow popular among the teens of her era. There has been a role model with blue eyelids in each generation since after. For example – Twiggy in 1960s, Cyndi Lauper in 1980s, Britney Spears in early 2000s and Miley Cyrus in mid 2000s, they all sported the blue eyeshadow in their generation. The latest evolution in the eyshadow is the mineral eyeshadow. It came at the dawn of 21st century. It is made up using natural ingredients unlike other available eyeshadow. Some women complained of irritation and allergies after the application of eyeshadow. Mineral eyeshadow aims to resolve these issues, and because it does not contain any organic chemical, the chances of eye irritation are pretty low. The sales of mineral eyeshadow clearly show that women love this product. However, it should be noted that not all mineral eyeshadow have the absence of organic chemical.
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